Wall supported table having increased leg room and seating capacity



Dec. 3, 1957 c. RICHARDSON 2,315,256

WALL SUPPORTED TABLE HAVING INCREASED LEG ROOM AND SEATING CAPACITY Filed Sept. 24, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 55 w 4 i 8 ssjuo 1 0' 4i 4 Q 54 w r sg I I 10 1 Q 01/; o lqvp o-o olo o :1 o O' IH V \if I5 I5 I F l l E 52 l 1 Ll -=U WW INVENTOR CLEVES R/CHA RDSON F4 20 BY W E" I ATTORNEY Dec. 3, 1957 c. RICHARDSON WALL SUPPORTED TABLE HAVING INCREASED LEG ROOM AND SEATING CAPACITY 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Sept. 24, 1956 INVENTOR CLEVES RICHARDSON BY w. 35%

ATTORN United States Patent WALL SUPPORTED TABLE HAVING INCREASED LEG ROOM AND SEATING CAPACITY Cleves Richardson, Louisville, Ky.

Application September 24, 1956, Serial No. 611,508

4 Claims. (Cl. 311-18) types of structures such as kitchen cabinet shelves, wall suspended retractable shelves, ironing boards, and the like. However, all such constructions with which I am familiar have been designed for comparatively light work usage, which often is to be carried out by a single person.

The present invention is intended to satisfy the requirement for normal usages of a table which may be used by a number of persons; which may support the weight of persons leaning thereupon; which may support the weight of dishes or the like; and which conveniently provides a readily accessible storage tray for articles used at the table.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved one-leg table characterized by its transverse stability.

Another object is to provide a one-leg table permitting a convenient and eflicient seating arrangement.

Another object is to provide a one-leg table having a storage tray mounted thereon at a location accessible to the table occupants.

A further object is to provide an improved table for game purposes.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which show a presently preferred embodiment of my invention applied to a table for use in playing games.

Fig. l of the drawings is a top plan view of the table.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation view showing the single leg.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the table with the upper surface of the top removed.

Fig. 4 is a partial sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1 showing the tray member in elevation, and to a larger scale.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. l and to a larger scale.

Fig. 6 is a detail view taken on line 66 of Fig. 1 and to a larger scale.

In accordance with my invention, a table is provided in which a maximum of leg room for the occupants is made available and in which the table is spaced at a normal distance from an adjacent supporting wall in order to avoid crowding of the occupants at the table.

As shown in Fig. 1, a four-sided square table having a top member 10 is preferably employed, although any other conventional geometric shape may be used without departing from the invention. The table may be used, not only for game purposes, as herein illustrated, but in restaurants and elsewhere, and is particularly suited to usage in-rooms where the ratio of wall length to floor area is large.

Extending laterally from the table top along a diagonal axis of the table is an extension or projection 11 of the table top having a width sufficient to provide an adequate spacing for the reinforcing means later to be described, but insufiicient to interfere with the arms of the table occupants sitting adjacent the projection. Diagonally opposite the projection, a single table leg 12 is mounted.

Referring now to Fig. 3, the table top has a depending skirt section 13 with an overhanging outer shoulder 14. Disposed inside the skirt section and held in contact therewith by means of suitable fasteners 15, is a specially shaped reinforcing means such as bar 16. Preferably this bar is of cold rolled steel, or material of equivalent strength, having a relatively narrow width and a relatively large depth, although if desired a tubular reinforcing means may be employed. At its extremities, the bar is turned outwardly as shown at 17 and 18 to provide spaced extensions for mounting of the table against a suitablev wall or other structure. The parallel portions 19 and 20 of the bar extending beneath projection 11 of the table top are spaced from each other to assure good transverse stability to the. table. A plurality of fastening means 15, which conveniently may comprise brass head bolts spaced evenly about the table periphery, securely anchors the table top 10 to the bar. These fastening means may be disposed beneath the outer shoulder 14 of the table top and thus are not normally in contact with the clothing of the table occupants.

As a feature of. the game table herein disclosed, the bar is formed to provide an inwardly directed recess 21 at one table corner and two beveled sections 22 and 2 3 attwo other corners, for a purpose later to become apparent. However, in general table usage, the bar may be formed with three square corners. At the recess 21, the single leg 12 of the table is suitably secured to the sides ofv the bar by any conventional means, not shown.

As seen in Figs. 1 and 6, the central portion of table top 10 may be formed with an aperture 30, having a stepped ledge 31 therearound and into which a removable base member 32v is fitted. This base member which may be formed of plywood or the like serves as support for the removable central insert portion 33 of the table top surface. For example, a synthetic leather material may be used for portion 33 in connection with the game table. By reason of the removable feature of the central table top, various colors, materials and the like may be used to form portion 33 and to lend distinction to different tables, as in a restaurant for example, while, at the same time, employing a uniform structure for all tables. As noted, the location and size of the reinforcing means or bar 16, is such as to present no interference with the insertion or removal of insert 33 of the table top.

When used as a game table, the top 10 may be formed adjacent each corner with apertures 34, 35, 36 and 37 to receive a glass and with shallow depressions 38, 39, 4t) and 41 to receive an ash tray. A depression 42 likewise may be formed in projection 11 to receive one or more packs of cards. As seen in Fig. 3, generally triangular shaped shelves 43, 44 and 45 and 46, are mounted respectively between the skirt 13 and the recessed portion 21; the beveled portions 22 and 23; and the parallel portions of the reinforcing bar, to form a support for glasses housed in apertures 34, 35, 36 and 37. These shelves, which may be of plywood, are suitably afiixed to the inner surfaces of the skirt 13 of the table top by any conventional means and may also be fixed to the adjacent surface of the reinforcing bar should this be desired.

With the foregoing description in mind, it will be seen that the spaced extensions 17 and 18 may be secured, either flexibly, as by a hinge, or rigidly, as by bolts, to

an adjacent wall W and that the single leg of the table rests upon floor F. The spacing of the parallel portions 19 and 20 of the reinforcing bar thus enables the entire table to resist any bending movement caused by an occupant leaning against either of the corners at the diagonal normal to the axis of those parallel portions; Transverse stability therefore is assured despite the empolyment of a single leg for the table. The advantage of a single leg insofar as convenience, economy, and additional leg and chair room is obvious. While the invention makes possible the use of a sturdy single leg table, it will be understood that if more than one leg is desired, such may be accomplished without, however, departing from the teachings of the invention.

An advantage in having the projection 11 attached to the table resides in its availability as a support for a sliding tray best shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4. This tray is shown for use with glasses later to be placed in or removed from the individual apertures in the table top, but may be used also for serving, storing or removing dishes or other articles associated with the tableusage. A suitable elongated open ended rack having a bottom 50, a back wall 51, and a somewhat shallower front wall 52, is mounted transversely of the projection 11 of the table top and with its back wall preferably in contact with the table supporting wall W.

Within the rack a slidable member or tray 53, on which glasses or other articles may conveniently be placed by the occupants of the table, is provided. Knobs 54 and 55 may be arranged at the respective ends of the slidable member so that the member and its contents may be conveniently slid into place or removed without disturbing the occupants of the table.

While I have shown a particular embodiment of my 4 invention, it will be understood, of course, that I do not wish to be limited thereto, since many modifications can be made; and I, therefore, contemplate by the appended claims to cover any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In combination with a stationary wall and floor structure, a polysided table adapted for occupancy at each side thereof and having a table top each side of which is spaced from said wall, a supporting leg attached to said table top adjacent the junction of two of said 4 sides and resting upon said floor, an extension of said table top rigidly joined thereto adjacent the junction of a different two of said sides and spacing said table top from said wall, and a reinforcing means attached to said table top and said wall and serving to provide lateral stability to said table.

2. A table as defined in claim 1 wherein said leg and extension are located on a diagonal axis of said table top.

3. In combination with a stationary wall and floor structure, a polysided stationary table adapted for occupancy at each side thereof and having a table top each side of which is spaced from said wall, a supporting leg rigidly attached to said table top adjacent the junction of two of said sides and resting upon said floor, an extension of said table top rigidly joined thereto adjacent the junction of a different two of said sides and spacing said table top from said wall, and a reinforcing means rigidly attached to said table top and said wall and serving to provide lateral stability to said table.

4. In combination with a stationary wall and floor structure, a polysided table adapted for occupancy at each side thereof and having a table top each side of which is spaced from said wall, a supporting leg attached to said table top adjacent the junction of two of said sides and resting upon said floor, an extension of said table top rigidly joined thereto adjacent the junction of a different two of said sides and spacing said table top from said wall, and a reinforcing means attached to said table top and said wall and serving to provide lateral stability to said table, said reinforcing means being offset from the junctions of the sides of said table top.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,110,948 Langdon Sept. 15, 1914 1,277,099 McNutt Aug. 27, 1918 1,796,635 Timmons Mar. 17, 1931 2,322,089 Greitzer June 15, 1943 2,437,162 Keller Mar. 2, 1948 2,547,808 Burrage Apr. 3, 1951 2,587,098 Binz Feb. 26, 1952 2,608,454 Slattery Aug. 26, 1952 2,768,047 Strauss Oct. 23, 1956 

